Fastball
by Raina Wolfe - Lateraina
Summary: In an attempt to get revenge on Dash, Danny throws a fastball that the coach of the baseball team witnesses. Now the coach will do anything to get Danny to join the team...and when Danny joins, he becomes the best pitcher the team's had in years!
1. Fast As Lightning

Hello! Got this idea from a movie I watched and you'll probably see a few similarities to it, but I'm not going to really base it off it; it's a totally different back story.

**Summary: **Danny snaps when Dash goes too far in his daily torments and in retaliation, launches a baseball right into a not so good spot. When the coach of the baseball team witnesses the throw, he's more than eager to get the teen signed up for the team—as a pitcher. Hesitant at first at the coach's request, Danny soon finds himself a member of the Raven baseball team. And as his social status heightens, his confidence does as well. _Other Notes: Danny & Sam are already dating; age of main characters: 16 (ending of sophomore year)_

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is owned by Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon Studios.

**Fastball**

Chapter One:

Fast As Lightning

**Danny **Fenton blinked several times in the bright sunlight that showed no mercy for their last hour gym class. It was nearly ninety degrees, but the humidity in the air made it so much worse that everyone seemed sluggish and less than eager to play a real game of baseball. Even the two gym teachers had agreed as long as they kept busy, they didn't have to go to a full out game for the baseball unit.

Most of the class had given up—even if it counted against their participation points—and were sitting on the bleachers. But since most of those candidates had been preppy, cheerleader girls, his best friend and girlfriend Sam had insisted they be elsewhere. They'd chosen to play catch as batting practice was out of the question. The sporty jocks had taken over that area.

"Jeez, I think I'm going to melt," Tucker groaned, taking off his beret to wipe sweat from his forehead. He caught the lightly tossed ball from Sam's direction in his glove and sighed. "I can't wait till I get home to air conditioning."

"Ours is broken," Sam said as Tucker threw it to Danny. "Wink wink…It saves energy and money."

"So you'd rather save the environment by trashing one air conditioner at a time and suffer than just turn it on for like an hour or two every once in a while?" Tucker wondered.

She simply shrugged. "It may be one at a time, but anything helps. You guys should try it too. Every little bit helps…"

The two boys exchanged glances as she threw it back to Tucker. It only took two seconds for them to both say, "Nah…We'll pass," in unison.

She rolled her lilac eyes. "Fine; you destroy the earth. This is what you're going to leave your future generations. Your choice."

"Sam, I love ya, but if we're destroying the earth by simply turning on the air conditioning…I'd rather not die in the sweltering heat than save the earth," Danny said, throwing it over to her.

"Really now?" she challenged, grinning mischievously and then launching it hard back at him.

"Hey now," he said, catching it easily but still feeling how much strength she'd put into throwing it. He laughed and decided to hand it back over to Tucker instead.

"Want to save the world _now_ Danny?" she asked. She thought about what she'd said and laughed. "In a different way?" All three of them laughed.

"I have to agree with Danny on this one since really, it was my argument in the first place. You'd rather sit in your house, dying, soaked in sweat than turn the--"

"Goths don't sweat, we--"

"Dying, _simmering _in your own sweat than turn on the air conditioning?" he continued, sighing. He looked over at his other best friend. "Your girlfriend's gone off to the land of crazyville. Oh, and by the way, you never did buy me a souvenir."

"Hey," Danny said as Sam shot him a look as if to say, _"you'd better defend me before I attack."_ He sighed. "That's not nice. She always buys me a gift first. Wait your turn."

"Oh," Sam said. She took off her glove and rushed forwards, tackling him onto the ground hard, dirt from the diamond rising up around them from the impact.

"Ow," he shouted, more out of shock than actual pain. She forced his hands on the ground and leaned forwards, sitting right on top of his stomach.

"Now…what do you say?" she whispered in his ear, making him grin.

"That really, really didn't sound right. Do you have to do that in the dirt…in public…in front of me?" Tucker said, looking away.

"I'm sorry," Danny said, laughing at the same time.

"How convincing," she said sarcastically.

"I am." He mocked a small child's voice. "I sowrie." He stuck out his lip in a small pout. "Forgive me?"

She smiled and leaned forwards. "Who could resist that? But of course." She kissed him quickly and started to stand up, but he grabbed onto her back and pulled her to him and they kissed again.

"Oh, gross…Like, nobody needs to see that," taunted a voice, standing not so far away.

Danny and Sam broke apart, shared looks, and she stood up, sighing. "What? Jealous that you don't have action in your life? Cause the most action I see around you is your faces when your brains are trying to work."

Tucker and Danny, climbing slowly to his feet, couldn't hold back snorts as they both burst into laughter.

Dash, Kwan, Darren, and Kyle, all sports team members, looked less than amused, flexing their muscles threateningly.

"Careful geek; don't want to lose that ugly face of yours, would you?" Dash retaliated.

"Back off," Danny snapped angrily, feeling his eyes burn.

"Oooh, hooh, Fentonio's sticking up for his little girlfriend," the blonde haired jock said, walking up to him so that they were standing only inches apart. He shoved him hard with his hands and he stumbled backwards. "What are you going to do about it?"

Danny stepped forwards, feeling his hands clench into fists, but someone put a hand on his shoulder. Jumping about a foot, he looked up to see Coach Tetslaff staring down at them, disapproval clear on her face.

"What's going on here?" she demanded, her gruff voice making neither of them want to admit what could have happened.

"Nothing," Dash said after a few seconds.

"Fenton?" Tetslaff tried, raising an eyebrow. Danny figured she clearly knew it was a lie, but went along with it, feeling his eyes turn slowly back to normal.

"It's nothing," he said, shrugging it off.

"You boys stay out of trouble. We've only got a few minutes left of the class, got it?" she warned, stepping away, but still keeping a hawk like eye upon them even after she returned to her spot in the dugout next to Coach Kinder.

"You're lucky the teachers wouldn't let me pound you right in front of them," Dash growled, his muscles tensing up as his indigo eyes flashed back onto Danny. "You and your little loser pack."

He would have said something to defend himself but decided against it, not wanting Tetslaff to come back over as he did. Instead, he shook his head and turned back towards his friends, both of which were staring at him in understanding. He walked back over to them.

It wasn't like he couldn't take on Dash. In the back of his mind he knew he could probably put _him _in the ground. But what would that prove? It would probably only get him into more trouble and of course, the teachers would side with the popular jock than the actual victim of the situation. There was nothing he could do.

"You okay?" Tucker's question brought him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he said, although he was far from it. He picked up his and Sam's glove from the ground and sighed. "Just a few more weeks, right?"

"Three and counting. Plus we get a break this Friday for teacher's institute day," Sam agreed. "So really, we only have fourteen days left of school."

"I think fourteen is…too many," Tucker said, panting slightly and trying to fan himself off with his beret. "I can't wait till summer."

"No homework, no teachers, no jocks," Danny agreed. "Nothing but sun, fun, and the occasional drop in of ghosts."

"Yeah…that's what we said last year," Tucker grumbled. "More like nothing but sun and ghosts is more like it."

"At least now…I've had my powers for two years. I can take care of anything that comes our way."  
Almost at his exact words, something slammed into the back of his head and he stumbled roughly into Tucker ahead of him. Both of his friends gave gasps of concern, but he felt a fiery explosion take off within him, his normally pretty blue eyes changing to a vivid, angry green.

He turned around to see a baseball at his feet, the back of his head throbbing. Standing a good fifteen feet away, Dash and the other jocks were laughing their heads off.

"Hey, Fentoad, catch my drift?" Dash called. Even though his joke hadn't been that funny, the crowd around him honked with laughter.

"Catch this!" Danny shouted, picking up the ball. He put full strength—ghost as well, and slammed it hard in Dash's direction. Within seconds, the ball nearly slammed into the lower half of his chest and seemed to drop almost even lower. Dash jumped, just barely catching it barehanded and blocked a specific spot. A stupid move on his part because then he cried out, shaking his hand, the ball dropping to the dirt.

"Nice," Tucker said as he turned back, giving him a high five.

"Let's take it in!" Tetslaff called. She must not have even noticed the small scuttle because she never said a word about it as everyone started walking back towards the gym locker rooms.

"That was awesome Danny," Sam agreed. "And you didn't even get in trouble."

"The times are turning," Tucker said. He glanced back at his friend, who was still bright red in the face with anger. "Dude, you okay?"

He felt his fingers uncurl themselves out of fists and took a deep breath. "I'm fine…"

"Calm down," Sam instructed gently, taking one of his hands in her own. "You won this time. It's alright. And it was…amazing."

"Yeah, how long will that last?" he muttered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Does it matter right now?"

"No…" he sighed.

"Look, Danny. They're not going to stop messing with you. But…I think you won the battle for today, alright?" She kissed him lightly. "Alright?"

"Maybe…" He grinned and she brushed her lips against his again, this time holding it longer. When she pulled away, he sighed. "Okay, now I feel better."

"Good," Sam said, starting to walk away. "You should."

He smiled at her as she headed into the girls' locker rooms and turned around to find Tucker waiting for him, one eyebrow raised.

"What?" he asked, unable to hide a grin.

"Boy, you be whipped…" he replied, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Whipped baaadd…"

"Whatever," he argued.

Tucker laughed and shoved his best friend's head right into his shirt's armpit. "Smells nice, don't it?"

"Dude, get off," Danny said, pushing him away as they both walked into the locker rooms. They both laughed and Tucker slid over to his locker quickly so that he couldn't take revenge too easily.

"I'm going to take a nice…cold shower," Tucker said, sighing as he opened up the heavy metal door. "You?"

"Cheeyah," he agreed. He'd just started to take off his gym shirt when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Stopping and automatically knowing who it was by the strength of the grip, he turned around. "Dash, just let it go--"

A gasp escaped his throat and he jumped in surprise to find it wasn't Dash at all. It was Coach Kinder. "Oh, sorry I…" he stammered nervously.

"That's alright kiddo. Wondering if I could talk to you a moment," he said. Coach Kinder was only about in his early thirties with dark brown hair and pale green eyes. He was the coach of the baseball and track teams and was usually one of the teachers that sided with the jocks over everyone else. Like now. "Look, I'm not going to deny that I saw you throw that ball at Dash."

A sense of regret went through Danny at his words. Now he was in trouble; getting back at Dash hadn't been the best plan after all. "Oh…I'm sorry, I kind of lost control."  
"Whatever you did…it was absolutely amazing," he said.

Danny blinked in surprise at his unexpected statement. "W—what?"

"Kiddo, how long have you been able to throw like that? Your aim was perfect. Right on the dot, fast as lightning…I've never seen that before except in the pros," he told him. "I couldn't believe it at first even."

"I…I…" He didn't know what to say.

The coach laughed at his lack of repliance. "You play any sports son?"

Danny tried not making a face at the new name, but inside, he was instantly reminded of someone he'd also grown to hate… "Is bowling a sport?" he asked, a little harsher than intended. He cleared his throat.

"Technically it is." Coach Kinder actually laughed. "But I meant for the school."

"No," he replied, shaking his head.

"Well…how would you like to play for the school baseball team?" he suddenly asked. "I saw your arm out there. With a little practice, you'd be on fire."

Danny stared. "I don't even…I'm not good at baseball."

"That's what the practice is for kiddo," he said. "The season just started. We haven't even had a game yet. And to be honest, I need another pitcher. I'll lose Thompson next year and if you've got the right training…" He trailed off, but Danny got it.

"Mr. Kinder, I'm not--"

"Please, call me coach," he corrected, not seeming to be offended at least.

"Coach, I've never really played baseball and I'm not really good…at baseball."

"Kiddo, you crack me up. With a little practice, I'm saying you'll get good. So…what do you say? Think you could be a Raven?" He held out his hand as if to seal off a deal.

Danny hesitated and then made up his mind. "I appreciate you asking and I think it's pretty miraculous," he admitted. "But no thanks."

The coach seemed hurt by his answer. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he said, trying to sound a little nicer. "But really, thank you."

"Alright," Coach Kinder sighed. "If you ever change your mind…do it before it's too late." He walked away, looking disappointed and Danny rubbed the back of his neck, not sure whether to be confused, astounded, or relieved.

"Dude!" Tucker exclaimed behind him, making him start. "Dude, what the heck is wrong with you?"

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"That was like…a once in a lifetime opportunity," he replied. "Did you not see how serious he was?"

"Serious maybe, I saw that. But I can't join the baseball team," he said, sitting down and removing his shoes.

"And why not?"

"Because…why are you--"

"Siding with him? He may have a point. With your…abilities," Tucker said, coding what he was really talking about. "You could kill out there. And he said he'd teach you."

"That's not the point," he said.

"Yeah, cause the point is…if you're as good as he says you are, you could become a star. All the girls be swarming all over you…You'd be popular dude."

Danny was silent for a moment and listened to his fellow classmates in the showers, talking over all the watery noise. He heard Kwan and Dash over everyone else, talking about sports.

"That's exactly…what I don't want sometimes."

* * *

I actually really love this story. Not only did I play softball so sometimes I do actually know what I'm talking about, but you'll soon find out in later chapters that there are a few good guys. 

I made up two characters, the coach and the catcher (plus some of the others on the team besides Dash and Kwan, but these two are more important than those) that actually play nice. Also, I've already got this whole story plotted out and it has 28 chapters. And since I love it so much, I'm pretty sure it won't take long at all to finish.

Okay, please R&R! Here's your sneak peek!

_Chapter Two: Peer Pressure_

_"I told him no," he said. "End of story."_

"Is it?" Sam wondered.

_"Yeah, the coach did say if you changed your mind…" Tucker said. _

_"It's not going to happen," he argued. "I'm surprised you guys even want me to do this."_

_"Of course we do. If it's something that'll make you happy," Sam told him. "And if the coach said you were good, you have to be good, don't you think?"_

Lateraina Wolf


	2. Peer Pressure

Hello! Thanks to my reviewers! I got a LOT more than I expected, so really thank you!

addicted2danny, XxFadedxMemoriesxX, phantomshadowdragon, Kats02980416, SilverstarsEbonyskies, Hakkyou Kuusou, Word Life 316, Halfa-NariMaruko, Phantom of a Rose, Master of Procrastination, InsaneHippieFromTheFuture, giggleaid, puppyface, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, shadowspinner1, dominicandragon, Sparky, KILLERGRIM23, ghostlover15, Catmedium, The Gypsy-Pirate Queen Teetering on the Brink of Insanity Past the Point of No Return Man Life Sucks, Queen S of Randomness 016

Oh, by the way, I kind of forgot to explain myself last chapter. The reason I have Danny and Sam dating already is because this follows what we all know will happen…sniffles in the last few episodes. So, kind of going along with that. Also, after two years, I'm pretty sure that Danny's bowling average would have changed, so when it's mentioned later, I did make it higher.

**Previously In Fastball: **Danny snaps on Dash and when he throws a baseball hard at Dash, he coach witnesses it and offers him the opportunity to play for the actual baseball team.

**Fastball**

Chapter Two:

Peer Pressure

**"You** wouldn't believe what Danny just did," Tucker said as soon as they met back up with Sam in the gym. The bell was about to ring in a few minutes, but the teachers refused to let them leave early.

Sam raised an eyebrow, staring between the two buds as Danny shot Tucker a look. "I don't think I want to know…but what?"

"Tell her Danny."

Danny sighed. "I turned down an offer to play on the baseball team. Big deal."

"What?" He could hear the clear surprise and confusion in her voice. "Whoa, wait a second. What happened?"

"Mr. Kinder saw me throw that ball at Dash," he said, running a hand through his jet black hair. "But I didn't get in trouble. He said I was…amazing or something. And he wanted me to play on the team."

"Really? That _is _amazing," Sam said to his surprise.

"What? How?" he wondered. "I can't play sports. Number one, I'm not that good at them if you haven't noticed and number two, with everything else going on, I wouldn't have time."

"Dude, school's almost out," Tucker said. "Remember, only fourteen days? The baseball season pretty much goes halfway into summer. You'll have plenty of time after school's out."

"So, what did you say again?" she asked.

"I told him no," he said. "End of story."

"Is it?" Sam wondered.

"Yeah, the coach did say if you changed your mind…" Tucker said.

"It's not going to happen," he argued. "I'm surprised you guys even want me to do this."

"Of course we do. If it's something that you want to do and something that'll make you happy," Sam told him. "And if the coach said you were good, you have to be good, don't you think?"

"Weren't you the one who said you hated sports?" he pointed out, giving her a sideways glance.

"You know, he's got a point," Tucker said, staring at her with an almost identical, curious look.

"I was sick. And you guys were the mascot," she said. "This is different. Now I'll actually get to watch you play. And there are some sports I can handle watching. It's different when _you're_ actually on the team."

"You guys really want me to do this?" Danny couldn't believe it.

"Why not?" Sam asked. "He said you were good, right?"

"Yeah, but…" He cut off as the bell rang and there was a race to the hallway; the three trudged along after, still in the middle of their conversation.

"Danny, if you're worried about us, you've already heard our opinions. If this is something that _you _want to do, we're behind you on it and we respect that. Right, Tucker?" She stepped on his shoe as he went google—eyed over a girl.

"Right," he agreed, even though he didn't look certain of what he was complying with. "Yeah."

"The fact is, we're not going to stop hanging out with you if you play a sport. Don't even let that thought cross your mind," she summarized.

"That's not it…I just…" He didn't say anything else, stopping at his locker. "I just don't think I can."

"Hey Fentonio," Dash's familiar voice called out behind him. He barely had time to turn around when he was shoved backwards hard into his locker door. Dash laid a giant hand hard on his shoulder.

"What do you want?" he muttered, shoving it off.

"Whoo," Dash whistled. "Getting brave, aren't you?"

"Go ahead and watch me," he said, feeling his eyes burn again as anger crept steadily over him.

"Heard you turned down a chance on the baseball team," Dash said, very loudly, making everyone look their direction. Danny felt his cheeks instantly heat up. "Scaredy cat, are you? Can't take on the big boys huh?"

"Dash, I swear--" he began as the other jocks howled with laughter, smirking.

"That's okay. We didn't want a loser on our team anyway. Probably couldn't even play if you wanted to," he continued. "Got to leave the big boy games to us, you might want to stick to chess or trading card games."

"Hey!" Tucker shouted defensively. "There ain't nothing wrong with that." He quickly shut up as the others glared at him.

But Dash kept a firm gaze at Danny, his piercing green eyes staring coldly into Dash's indigo eyes. "Like we said, we wouldn't want you on our team anyway. Just because you throw a good ball once—just means it'll probably never happen again." He stood up, smiling in triumph. "Come on guys. We've got some real target practice."

They walked away, all of them laughing and the spectators that had been witnessing the show also laughed or shook their heads, leaving the situation alone.

Danny beat his fists angrily behind him into the lockers and Sam reached out to him, but he tore off towards the bathroom and was barely inside the door before there was a flash of light and he changed into his ghost form, too furious to even bother looking to see if there was anyone watching. To his luck, there hadn't been and he turned intangible, floating up towards the ceiling.

Adrenaline powered by the seething anger welling inside him sent him flying towards his own home without a backwards glance, his thoughts chaotic.

Scared? What was he scared of? He was pretty sure there was nothing he was scared of. At least, he wasn't afraid of joining the team. Let alone of Dash. He could play if he wanted, the coach had given him that option, hadn't he?

The whole way there, he'd almost convinced himself that Dash was just jealous at the fact that Danny had even been asked in the first place to become a team member. He was pretty certain that the others were too. That or he was embarrassed because the first time that he'd actually done something to defend himself, something good had actually happened that he himself hadn't inflicted.

He figured he shouldn't have run out on the scene like he'd had. That he had probably only made things worse, plus worry his best friends. He figured they knew what he'd done, but he'd left them high and dry in the middle of everything. Yet something else to apologize for…The list kept growing…

He changed back into his human form a good block away just in case his parents were anywhere in sight. This time, he made sure no one was there to witness the change and sighed, starting the trek back home when sure enough, no one was watching.

"I'm not scared," he told himself. Just because he hadn't ever played in his life, not counting the games they had in gym, but he meant real baseball. He'd never played any school sport before. He knew darn well that the players of the varsity baseball team had probably been playing most of their lives or at least their high school years.

He'd make a fool of himself if he were to join. As much as he hated to admit it, Dash had a point. Just because he'd thrown one good ball didn't mean he had talent anywhere else. He'd only hit a baseball a few times and the whole stealing—slide process was something he didn't even want to think about. Plus there was the infield—outfield thing and learning signs and things…There was just no way he could be as good as them when the first game was only a few weeks away.

He couldn't possibly even try to match their skill at the game. Which was yet another reason to add to the scale. So far, he still let the weight hang over _not _joining the team.

The thought that Mr. Kinder might actually be off his rocker to even think about suggesting Danny become a player made him laugh and feel loads better. At least now he had a few good excuses not to play.

He knew of course, he'd be teased a lot more, but he was used to that. Lately, Dash had been getting on his nerves, but…hey, he was getting a tiny bit better at defending himself…

"Yeah, three years later," he muttered to himself with a sigh. He couldn't bring his spirits any higher, even with the assurance that he really couldn't do it.

What could he do? He still had yet to find anything he was really good at. The only thing he'd really enjoyed was the idea of signing up for the space centre and even then, he had a slim chance at that happening. And it wasn't like he could just stay a superhero all his life, was it?

Doubts swarmed in his head about everything in his life. He hadn't even realized he'd gotten to his house until he was opening the front door. The cool air felt good against his skin, but he was suddenly too depressed to really enjoy it and slammed the door a bit harder than necessary.

"Mom? Dad, I'm--"

He stopped, his eyes widening as he saw them sitting down right on the couch—where Coach Kinder was also sitting.

"—home," he finished, now officially confused.

"Hey, son," Jack Fenton greeted excitedly. "How was school?"

"Strange," he said quietly, staring at Coach Kinder, who smiled at him, an innocent look on his face.

"Danny, I was just telling your parents what happened in gym today," he explained.

"Oh…" It was the only thing he could manage to get out of his mouth, but thousands of thoughts had suddenly exploded in his head again.

Maddie rushed over to him and wrapped him in a strong hug. "Sweetheart, that's absolutely great! Imagine, our son, a pitcher for the baseball team!"

Danny's gaze flickered over to Mr. Kinder. Apparently he hadn't told them the _whole _story yet. But his thoughts suddenly froze on Maddie and Jack's clear pride and shock—they actually liked it? They seemed so excited…What would telling them he'd said no do to them?

_Disappoint them more, _a voice muttered silently in his head.

He tried a smile. "Yeah," he said as his mother put a hand on his back.

"Your parents say you bowl pretty well," Mr. Kinder said. "One eighty average; that's impressive for someone your age."

"Thanks," he replied, unsure of what to say to that.

"Quite a boy you got there, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton," he said, standing on his feet. "With the right training and practice time, I think we could see a whole new sports star that the Casper team has been unfortunately missing for a while."

"What do you say Danny? Coach Kinder's offered to do a few private sessions to get you up with the other boys on the team," Maddie said, squeezing his arm in her hands as she smiled warmly.

"Umm…" He hesitated. Why disappoint his parents anymore? But face the baseball team now? Why did it have to be…now…?

Kinder seemed to notice and turned to the Fenton adults. "May I talk with Danny…alone for a few moments?"

"Certainly," Jack said. He clapped him on the back. "Great work son!"

"We'll be in the kitchen if you need us," Maddie agreed.

He watched as his parents left the room, chatting quietly and they grinned at him as they passed into the kitchen. He felt nauseous.

"Danny, please sit…" Danny nearly fell into the chair, slightly dazed. Kinder leaned forwards for his better attention. "I haven't told them your answer yet obviously. I was hoping…maybe I could change your mind."

"Mr. Kinder I don't think--"

"Coach, kiddo. Mr. Kinder makes me feel old," he said, taking no offense and giving him a smile.

"Coach," Danny said, the word unfamiliar on his lips. "I really, really appreciate your offer, but I've been thinking and I realize, I can't do this. Everyone on the team has played before obviously and I've never really played in my life. I'm not a runner and catching and hitting…" He trailed off hopelessly. "I can't do this."

"Danny…let me ask you a strange question," he said, setting his hands on his knees. "Do you ever not think?"

It was a strange question indeed. "What?"

"Stop everything going around your head for a while. No thoughts, no doubt, no worries. Just…no thinking."

"No."

"You should try it sometime; it'll get rid of that "I can't" thing you unfortunately seem to have," he blurted. "Kiddo, I'm not trying to pressure you into doing something you don't want…but the fact is, I saw you and I know you're capable of a lot more than you think."

"You saw me throw a lucky pitch. Who's to say that I'll do it again? This was…has to be a one time thing," he pointed out, hoping he didn't sound too much like Dash.

"I thought about that too. But…" Kinder sighed. "Kiddo, it's your choice. Would you at least think on it for a while? Or better yet, don't think." He stood up. "I'll give you until Monday, alright?"

Danny bit his lip and then swallowed. "Okay."

The coach handed him a small slip of paper and he examined it. "That's my number and address if you need to talk. My cell number's on the back."

He nodded. "T—thanks."

"Say thanks to your parents, would you?" he said, closing the door behind him.

Danny ran his hand through his jet black hair, feeling even more split than he had before. And no matter what he decided, either choice—he was doomed.

* * *

Hee hee…Surprisingly, this story (out of twenty eight chapters) probably only has about ten cliffhangers, so, I'm not going to be as evil as I usually am with some stories. 

So, please R&R! Here's your sneak peek!

_Chapter Three: A Little Persuasion_

_"If this is something you want to do, do it Danny. There's nothing and no one stopping you but yourself," she said._

_"Sam…I can't do this…"_

_She hugged him tightly and then pulled away just as quick. "Danny…you have so much faith and trust in everyone else…why not yourself?"_

Lateraina Wolf


	3. A Little Persuasion

Hello! Thanks to my reviewers!

Tizamiki, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Daphne22, SilverstarsEbonyskies, Chibi Millenia Phantom, Sasia, Uru Baen, Galateagirl, Queen S of Randomness, Sirithiliel, Phantom of a Rose, JTN, Nightwingstar, ghostlover15, lindy12, XxFadedxMemoriesxX, Master of Procrastination

Okay, one more little thought filled chapter and then we'll get some more action in around here. Right now, it's just kind of a this-versus-this, tip the scale part of the story. Soon you'll get some more fun!

**Previously In Fastball: **Danny's decision to turn down Coach Kinder's offer seemed fine to him—but wrong to everyone else, including, oddly, his two best friends. Aware of how weird it would be to change his mind now, he goes home, only to see Coach Kinder speaking with his parents to get him onto the team! After giving him a few days to make his choice, Danny's got a lot to think about.

**Fastball**

Chapter Three:

A Little Persuasion

**"I **don't know," Danny grumbled, falling freely onto the couch.

"Well, tell me what you're worried about," Sam said, sitting down on top of his stomach. She offered him a piece of celery but he declined, shaking his head and swallowing.

"Disappointing my parents more," he replied. "You should have seen the looks on their faces. I don't get that often. They were actually…proud."

"Danny, they're proud of you whether you're on the baseball team or not," she told him, making a face. "You know that."

"I don't do anything to make them feel proud of me," he said. "My grades are pretty horrible sometimes and I'm not involved with any other extra thing besides ghost hunting."

"Danny…" She trailed off. "So what else is on your mind besides your parents?"

"I know he said he'd train me. But the fact is…a year's worth of training, could never get me to the level that they're at…Sure, I know how to play, but it's a lot more difficult when someone's not there, telling you what to do."

"You're afraid of making your own decisions?" she said with a giggle.

"Sometimes," he replied, not laughing.

She frowned, sighing and then stretched out, laying her head on his chest. "Danny, this is baseball. Not the end of the world. Besides, the coach will help. They've got those sign things. Tell you whether to take a pitch or steal or whatever."

"That's not the point," he grumbled.

"What is your point, you're confusing me?" Sam teased, grinning and leaning up to look at his face. "Look…there are a lot of things I understand about you that no one else does. But this...really really crosses the line of understanding."

"This whole thing confuses me."

"So…tell me what's really bothering you." She sat up and pulled him towards her. He leaned back on the couch cushion, sighing.

"I guess I keep trying to make excuses."

"I got that a while ago," she mused. She cocked her head curiously. "But why? Why torture yourself endlessly I wonder."

"Because I know I'm not good enough to do this." He averted her gaze and she squeezed his hand in hers. "And…maybe…maybe this small part of me wants to but…"

"If this is something you want to do, do it Danny. There's nothing and no one stopping you but yourself," she said.

"Sam…_I can't_ do this…"

She hugged him tightly and then pulled away just as quick. "Danny…you have so much faith and trust in everyone else…why not yourself?"

"What do I have to show for it anymore? A few ghost battles that could have ended up ugly? Anytime I try to do anything…I just want to find the one thing that…that I'll really know I'm good at. And this…is not it."

"You'll never know if you don't try," she tried.

"Attempt to try you mean?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"At least you know you did, right?"

He turned towards her and she leaned her chin on his shoulder. "You really want me to do this, don't you?"

"Why? Is my pep talk working?"

Danny shrugged. "Maybe a little."

"You're afraid."

"I didn't say that."

"Did you have to?"

"I'm not scared, I'm just…"

"Lost?" she offered, staring blankly ahead. "Confused? Dazed? Dazed and confused?" She managed to make him laugh and smiled. "Come on Danny. Tell me what you want. You're not telling me something."

"If I tell you, you're going to think I'm crazy," he admitted.

"I honestly already knew that, but go ahead and try me," she told him.

He ignored her comment and sighed. "I have this…really weird feeling that by some miraculous chance, I might actually be good…and the team really likes it and everything and I gain…stardom I guess, that everything will be different."

"Different how?"

"All these small little experiences I've had with popularity. I think you've noticed they didn't last long. At all. And every single time, I feel like I've left you and Tucker in the dust and I have. And I don't want to do that. But I think if I really do get popular, I'll forget everything and--"

"Danny," she tried to intervene.

"—leave you all alone and you'll hate me and in the end, I'll end up having no one at all and I won't be able to handle that because--"

"Danny," she said slowly, putting her hand to his mouth. "Shut up…"

"I was serious," he told her.

"So am I, but _you're_ rambling. And bad…That's not going to happen and you know it. If you do get popular, who cares?"

"I do…and you will too if I turn into some jerk."

"If you're the person I think you are, that won't happen," she said. He cast a hopeful look her direction and she placed a hand on his forehead. "Listen to what I'm saying, okay?"

"I feel like I'm in some sci—fi movie and you're going to like implant something in my brain," he joked.

"Then, human—half human, whatever, listen up," she mocked, rolling her eyes. "Even if you become popular, I trust that you've been through enough to never turn your back on us. Not me or Tucker. You'll make new friends and gain something you deserve if you try hard enough. And you will never, ever, ever take us for granted or forget us. Right?"

"Right," he said.

"Anything else on your mind while I'm traveling through your brain waves?"

"I don't know," he replied, giving a small smile. "Is there?"

"Never…" she joked, laughing. "Well then, try for this dream and find out. Once you know what else is holding you back, maybe you can push past it and really enjoy yourself for once. What do you say?"

"You have this strange way of getting people to do things, you know?" he asked, grinning. She shoved him in the back and he jerked forwards, laughing. "What?"

"Yeah, I knew where your head was," she said, jumping gracefully over his head and in front of him. "Way down that dirty gutter."

"I didn't say anything," he told her, holding up his hands in the non-guilty pose.

"You didn't need to, it was written all over your face," she said, swinging a couch pillow back and forth in front of her. He watched the movement, remaining silent. She sighed and smiled. "So…what are you going to do?" He didn't reply and she stopped moving the pillow. "Danny?"

"Yeah?" he asked, bouncing back into reality.

"You get hypnotized easily, don't you?" she teased.

He stole the fluffy pillow away from her and glared. "I was just zoning out."

She stole it back fast. "I noticed. So…deal or no deal Danny? Going to attempt…trying out for the baseball team? You said he's given you until Monday. That's a good offer…But if you wait that long to tell him yes, he might have changed his own mind by then…"

"Okay, okay…"

"Okay, what? You'll try out or you're just trying to get me to shut up?"

"Never," he replied, looking up at her and then back down at the carpet around her feet. Finally, he nodded. She smacked him hard with the pillow. "Ow, what?" he wondered, his eyes wide as he held up his hands to block it.

"Just checking to see if that head of yours is screwed on tight. Cause I can't hear your head rattle," she told him.

"I'll talk to the coach," he told her.

"And say…?"

"That I'm going to try out for the team," he said.

"Exactly. See…I knew you'd see things my way."

"Your way? Your way is starting to scare me," he blurted, grabbing the pillow once again and keeping it away from her. She reached for it and he kicked out at her legs and sent her crashing right into him on the couch.

"Oh, ow," she grumbled. She stared into his eyes and smiled, kissing him once on the nose. She traced a finger along his chin and he closed his eyes, enjoying her gentle touch. Brushing her hair from her face, she rested her head upon his chest, listening to his heart beat. "You can do this Danny, I know you can."

He didn't say a word, praying she was right.

* * *

That's a new question I have a lot more in my stories I've noticed. Deal or no deal, ha ha. That show is actually kind of addicting…kind of weird. Anyway, love D/S. By the way, Valerie & Vlad aren't in this story (as well as other minor characters but those are two major ones anymore that I thought I'd mention). I introduce a couple new characters like I've mentioned before. 

As for the next chapter, it's actually kind of funny. The whole chapter is between Danny and Coach Kinder. 3 down, 25 to go, ha ha. It's amazing how a baseball story can turn out to be 28 chapters. Too fun.

Please R&R! Here's your sneak peek!

_Chapter Four: Kinder's Challenge_

_"I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier…about the whole "one time, never gonna happen again thing, just a lucky shot" and I'll tell you what kiddo. I'll make you a deal," he said, standing up and walking over to a shelf lined against a wall. _

_Danny watched as he grabbed a bucket from one of the higher levels and gave a curious look inside to see it was full of vividly light green balls. He picked one randomly and tossed it up and down. _

_"I know this is a softball, but I save the real baseballs at the school," he said. He lightly threw it over to Danny, who caught it unexpectedly with one hand. Kinder raised an eyebrow and then pointed over at the far wall where a paintball target had been painted in red across the wall. "You throw that ball straight into the bullseye and you join the team. You miss and you don't have to. I'll give you three chances. Majority rules of course. If you miss, I'll leave you alone, but if you don't…"_

Lateraina Wolf

NEXT UPDATES: Life Sucks And Then You Die, A Cross Between Crimes, The Boy At The Rock Show, Jet Plane, Hanging ByA Moment, Infinity, Extremities, Our Truth, Royalties (New), Cars (New), Stand Up (New)


	4. Kinder's Challenge

Hello! Thanks to my reviewers!

Twisted Creampuff, kawaii chibi shun, AirGirlPhantom, yuuki, GoingGhost, Chibi Millenia Phantom, Kats02980416, phantomshadowdragon x2, Kybo, Hakkyou Kuusou, Sparky, Uru Baen, konekosama, Master of Procrastination, Queen S of Randomness 016, Sirithilel, Lt. Commander Richie, Anime Chick009, Nightwingstar, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, horselova32312, The Bushranger, SilverstarsEbonyskies

Wow, some of you are really starting to enjoy this, huh? Enjoy it more with a brand new chapter! This one might even be a bit funny. That or, I'm way too easily amused.

**Previously In Fastball: **They say the greatest relief is having someone to listen to. When Danny confides in Sam, she convinces him to join the team. Maybe Danny's a little more whipped than he realizes…

**Fastball**

Chapter Four:

Kinder's Challenge

**Danny **felt that sometimes…life could get easier, it really could in its own little way. But choices…sucked.

His lack of decision making skills proved worthy as he found himself staring at a two story white house with maroon colored shutters and a small, fenced in yard to the side. Two Husky dogs were bounding around the grass, too distracted while they played to really notice him and create a scene. Leading up to the house were wooden steps where the door to the house loomed ahead, making him extremely nervous.

_Funny how such small things can make you want to run very far away, _he thought, studying the card again. He hadn't wanted to call. He'd be way too inarticulate to do that. So now…he was being mocked by Kinder's house, standing brightly in front of him. He was here to tell Kinder what his decision was.

The fact was, he still didn't know.

He glanced around, shoving the card into his back pocket and sighing, running his hands across his hair, his blue eyes larger than normal. What was he chicken or something? He'd been so certain of his choice earlier when he'd been talking to Sam. Now…he was suddenly full of doubt and very indecisive.

It wasn't like he could just stand there all day. It was nearly getting dark and even if he still hadn't really really made up his mind, he figured it would be kind of creepy to wait outside a house at night just because he couldn't.

This was it. He had to do something. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides and he wished his heart would slow down. He couldn't believe how nervous he was. Taking another deep breath, he quickly walked up the steps to the front door. This was just…a random choice, wasn't it? He could just tell the coach he actually did want to play and then it would be a few weeks of practice and…His stomach overturned uncomfortably at the thought and his hand froze, inches away from knocking on the door.

_Why? _he thought miserably, groaning. He ran both of his hands through his hair and sighing. _How can one simple thing be so frickin hard? _Unintentionally, he paced around the front porch, chewing on his thumbnail.

Distantly, he heard a dog bark and then another and decided he'd either need to get out of there or just knock on the door. The thought that he could play ding-dong-ditch seemed tempting as well because he personally felt like running.

Summoning up his courage once again, he swallowed hard and reached towards the door and was just about to knock when he got the urge to just walk away and turned around—nearly running into Coach Kinder who suddenly stood right in front of him.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?" he greeted cheerfully, seeming to be unaware that he'd nearly given him a heart attack. The two dogs that had been in the yard now had leashes on them that were in his hands.

"Hi…" he said awkwardly, not sure whether he should be relieved or terrified again.

"Burning a hole on my porch, are ya?" Pure amusement shook the coach's voice and made Danny blush furiously.

"You…you saw that?" he stammered.

"Ah, decided to take the dogs for a walk when I saw you," he replied, grinning. "Join me?"

"Sure," he replied, still uncertain.

They walked for a moment in silence, down the narrow street. Finally Coach Kinder sighed. "I've done the same thing every night for three years now. Every night, same time, I'll walk around the whole block with these two," he said, referring to the dogs. "Great way to stay in shape besides eating healthy. Nice to have someone different to talk to. Usually my daughter walks with me. But she's more interested in squashing every single bug she sees crossing her path and so…the trip's a bit difficult."

Danny laughed, unsure of what to say again. He hadn't known that the coach had had a daughter. It was weird the strange things he didn't know about some of his own teachers. Most of them loved telling personal stories…more then they loved teaching in fact. He could honestly say that Kinder was the teacher he knew the least about.

"Danni slow down," he suddenly said.

For a moment, he thought he was talking to him, but the coach was looking down at the dogs. Noticing Danny's hesitation, a chuckle escaped his lips. "Sorry kiddo. Krista, my daughter," he explained. "She's the one that named these two." He pointed to the one on the left first. "That one's Danni. Short for Danielle. And this one is Spirit."

"Interesting names," he stated.

"Ah, she's got a crush on that one kid, Danny Phantom," he said with a shrug.

Danny snorted, having a very strange visual run through his head. "Really now?"

"Five years old, she doesn't know any better," he muttered.

He couldn't figure out if the coach didn't like it or not. So far, he'd kept it fairly neutral. His curiosity peeked. "You're not a fan yourself?" he said, absentmindedly kicking at a rock on the ground.

"Ah, I don't know. The news doesn't really help things is what I personally think. I'd say if I ever had the chance to meet him myself, I'd have to decide what I thought then. But…I doubt that will ever happen."

They turned the corner as Danny remained silent, finding it humorous that the coach's doubt had already been proved wrong. But Danny couldn't tell a complete stranger who he was. That would really throw his chance at getting onto the team.

The idea that he'd just suddenly _wanted _to join the team was confusing him even more and he scratched at his neck thoughtfully, wondering where it had come from.

"How are you?" he asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Oh, I'm good," he replied.

"Nervous?"

Danny wondered how obvious he was. "A little."

"Changing your mind are you?" He grinned mischievously. "Thought you might want to…"

"I don't know honestly," he answered.

"Let me guess…the only reason you're here…is because a woman convinced you, right?"

He scratched at his neck again. "W-why?"

Kinder laughed, jerking a little as the two dogs got a little excited as a squirrel passed near. "Mother, sister, or girlfriend? Girlfriend right. Sam, isn't it?"

"How do you know this?"

"Women work in mysterious ways kiddo, learn that," he suggested, his eyes widened. "Personally, half the boys on the team now needed some persuasion from an important lady in their life."

"Really?" Danny asked.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "David, our usual shortstop…when he joined, I had to ask his mother first for permission."

Danny laughed, thinking of the husky jock. David was one of Dash's friends and every once in a while decided to join along in the daily torments. It was hard to picture that scene after seeing how tough he made himself out to look.

"Spent two hours trying to convince his mom that it didn't cost anything but a doctor's physical to join and that there wasn't any possible way that her insurance would rise if something were to happen…"

"Wow…" Danny was pretty sure he didn't want to say anything else or comment in case David was one of the coach's "favorites."

Kinder opened the gate as they approached his home again and unhooked the chain from the dogs' collars. As soon as the metal restraint came off, the two dogs bounded into the yard and he closed the fence behind them. "Here, come inside the garage with me."

He followed the coach around the corner of the house and they walked down a rocky driveway towards the garage. To him, it looked more like a white barn with how large it was. The building was about two stories high and nearly the size of two houses put together.

Kinder noticed his gaze and smiled. "I don't even park my car in there. It's more of a sports arena."

"Wow…" He silently wished he could say more, but every time he learned something new, he became kind of speechless. But what was he gaping about? His own home was a three story arsenal that looked like an alien spaceship had landed recently. He supposed he'd just never expected it.

He pulled open the sliding door and he stepped inside a brightly lit room. There was a basketball court at the far wall and the other walls were surrounded by metal shelves, all of which held sports equipment—some of the material things he'd never seen—tennis racquets and balls, baseball bats and gloves, basketballs, first aid kits, netting…He couldn't help but stare.

"So, have you changed your mind? Wanna play a little baseball?" Kinder started. "Your parents were pretty excited when I told them, but I think you noticed."

"Yeah," Danny said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm guessing you really haven't made up your mind, huh?"

"I just don't know," he admitted.

"Tell you what…" He clapped his hands together. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier…about the whole _"one time, never gonna happen again thing, just a lucky shot"_ and I'll tell you what kiddo. I'll make you a deal," he said, standing up and walking over to a shelf lined against a wall.

Danny watched as he grabbed a bucket from one of the higher levels and gave a curious look inside to see it was full of vividly light green balls. He picked one randomly and tossed it up and down.

"I know this is a softball, but I save the real baseballs at the school," he said. He lightly threw it over to Danny, who caught it unexpectedly with one hand. Kinder raised an eyebrow and then pointed over at the far wall where a paintball target had been painted in red across the wall. "You throw that ball straight into the bullseye and you join the team. You miss and you don't have to. I'll give you three chances. Majority rules of course. If you miss, I'll leave you alone, but if you don't…"

Danny stared, almost skeptical. "I just have to throw it in the bullseye…" he repeated.

"That's the deal."

He was certain there had to be some sort of catch. Even though it was painted on, Danny slightly wondered if the target was going to move to test him out…whether it looked stationary or not. If that was…by some magical chance, the case, he was screwed...

_Okay_, he thought silently. _Either hit the little red thing or not, but don't stand there like an idiot..._

Coach Kinder moved back, perhaps paranoid that he might accidentally get beamed and Danny almost smiled, looking down at the green ball in his hand, but it quickly faded. Did that mean Kinder really believe he could throw that far off or was the coach…oddly giving him the space he wanted? He didn't know and didn't want to know.

He looked up again, his heart thudding wildly in his chest and finally—threw out his arm, releasing the ball and it flew through the air—striking the wall about a foot above the designated target.

A small part of him seemed to fall and he sighed. _Knew it_, he thought bitterly.

Kinder didn't seem discouraged at all, despite the fault. "Alright, two more shots. But here, let me show you something," he said. He walked behind him and grabbed his hand, swinging his arm back as if he were about to throw. "Release here," he told him, placing his hand even with his shoulder.

"Coach," Danny said, turning back to him.

"You're not going to do what I think you are, are you?"

"W-what?"

"What were you going to say?" A smile played for some odd reason on Kinder's face, his light eyes sparkling.

"I...I...don't think teaching me is really going to help," he admitted, sighing. _Like anything will help at all…_

"Ah, just what I thought you'd say," he told him. "Well, if you really don't think you can, you're probably right."

"What?" He tried not to sound offensive, but that had been harsh. Despite his feeling towards it, he felt his fingers curl slightly, wondering why there'd been a sudden change in opinion. Hadn't Kinder gone through all that trouble to get him there in the first place?

"I'm just saying, if you think you can't, you probably can't. But don't feel let down. A lot of losers don't have it in them," he snapped.

Danny felt a twinge of anger run through him, making his eye twitch. "Excuse me?" he snapped, not bothering to hide it from his tone.

"I'm sorry, I forgot you really don't like that, do you? Well, it kind of fits, I have to say. That's what they all call you, isn't it? Mind me doing the same?" He tossed another ball his direction and Danny caught it haphazardly, trying to keep his anger on a leash. "I thought I really did see something in you actually. Guess the loser title doesn't ever fade away on the outside or inside, huh?"

"What is your problem?" he said, louder than necessary as he started feeling the faint burning sensation in his eyes.

"I'm saying you couldn't throw the ball because you're not good enough obviously," he replied calmly. "You couldn't even if you tried..." Danny stared, disbelieving. Kinder brushed his look off easily and whistled. "So, go ahead and try, prove me right that you actually can't do it, just like you and I and so many others know you can't, right?"

"Fine," he suddenly growled, gripping the ball and then throwing it as hard as he could towards the wall, his fingers tingling as the ball left his hand.

His anger faintly disappeared within the next second as it struck the bullseye head on. Shocked and ticked off weren't a good combination and he turned to leave when Kinder suddenly laughed. He whipped around, his furious feeling getting ready to explode when—

"Sorry for those loser comments. Had to get you mad somehow. Kind of worth it because it worked, huh?"

He turned to see Coach Kinder wearing a smile and blinked, but then got it, his eyes widening. "You...wait a second, you were trying to get me angry?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied. "You were shooting daggers at Dash earlier today so I figured it had something to do with your anger."

Relief and guilt and every other feeling suddenly seemed to hit him at the realization that he'd been set up majorly…And he'd done it.

"Oh...man...I didn't even...really..." He placed his hands near his head, his eyes still larger than usual as he couldn't help but stare at the target, far across the wall.

"To tell you the truth, we're actually father back than where a pitcher would normally stand, but you don't seem to have a problem with distance, huh?"

Danny didn't reply, swallowing very hard and trying to grasp the idea that he'd seriously just done what he had. Kinder laid a hand on his shoulder.

"See, I knew you could do it. You just got to let yourself know you can," he told him. "So...now that you know you really can, number one, get that "I can't do this" thing out of your head, alright?"

He glanced up at the coach, suddenly remembering all the right reasons to why he shouldn't be able to play, but what would he say? The fact was, he didn't even think it was possible for him to do what he had…but he'd just proved himself wrong. For the first time, he felt…almost certain.

"Kiddo, this is _your _decision," Kinder told him. "The fact is, you've got more talent than you realize. You…just haven't gotten the chance to shine. You can do this, I have faith in you. The question is, do you believe in yourself?"

"Maybe," he said after a moment.

Kinder laughed. "Okay, we'll work on that too. The second point is…try to...I guess, channel that anger into a goal...Worked the last time, didn't it? Bet you could do it a third time and a thousand times more. What makes you angry…use whatever that is…and throw...One last shot..."

He grabbed one more ball and tossed it lightly at him. He caught it and sighed, really trying to catch up with what the coach was saying. All he had to do was control his anger? What made him angry? Dash…for one; that had to be at the top of the list. But underneath that…

The thought that he could really play on the baseball team seemed so…addictively sweet. In the back of his mind, he still wondered how crazy he was for thinking about it, but he was suddenly…excited.

Sam and Tucker…maybe they'd been right about what they'd said earlier. Maybe if the coach had seen something in him from one small throw…maybe he really had the ability to do more.

He swung his arm backwards, still trying to come up with something that made him mad or agitated. It didn't take long at all and he gripped onto the ball, running his fingers across the crisscross pattern. He turned and threw as hard as he could, releasing the ball exactly where the coach had instructed.

It shot through the garage air and struck the bullseye head on once more, a loud noise echoing around them. Ignoring the nervousness that went through him, he almost smiled.

"Well, lookie there," the coach said, grinning. He turned, almost to face him directly. "So…you know what this means…"

"Yeah…" he said softly, swallowing hard.

Kinder stuck out his hand. "Sure you want to do this…"

A groan escaped his lips. "Coach…don't ask me, I won't ever give you--"

"I think you're ready kiddo," he said. "You know why?"

"Because…" He couldn't come up with anything.

"Because for one, you hit the target and did everything I suggested you to do. Controlled your anger into a specific purpose and you even let go of the ball where you were supposed to. And another, you just called me coach…'bout time honestly." He smiled widely.

"Oh…" Danny said.

He inched his hand forwards again. "Before I say something, I have to ask something else first."

"Okay…"

"Right before you threw, you didn't picture Dash's head or some other jock as the target or something, did you?"

He almost laughed. "No…"

"Do you get along with Dash?"

"Yeah…" he said, layering on the sarcasm as he absentmindedly stared at the target on the wall.

Kinder chuckled. "Guess we'll work on that too." He held out his hand for the third time. "What do you say kiddo?"

Hesitant at first, Danny hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake and finally took the coach's hand and shook on it. Kinder smiled broadly.

"Welcome to the Ravens…"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hee hee. Knew we'd have to get there eventually, huh? Enjoy the new chapter? It turned out to be a bit longer than I expected really.

For those of you who have heard the news, thanks for all the support and sympathy, I appreciate it greatly. I will continue to write on fanfiction until all of my stories have been completed. (Meaning you get me for about another four years). For those of you wondering how I am, I don't handle emotion well, so please don't ask. I'm trying to just get back on track. But thank you so much for all the care and support!

Please R&R! Here's your sneak peek! This story, among many others, will be updated until it has 10 chapters total. No stories above ten chapters will be updated and I apologize to those fans of 10+ chapters, but I really need to get working on some of my others.

_Chapter Five: Practice Rounds_

_"Somebody's paranoid…"_

_He ignored his sister's taunting tone. "Whatever…"_

_"Oh, you just wait. You do this, you earn yourself a name. I'll be at every single one of your games to cheer you on and around you all of the time…"_

_Danny stared. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to get excited?"_

Next Updates: (Most of which are already started or halfway through): Extremities, Jet Plane, The Boy At The Rock Show, The Ghost At Summer Camp, Relinquish, Life Sucks And Then You Die, Love Me, Love Me, Don't Look Under The Bed (New), Royalties (New), and Chosen. They'll be at least within the next two weeks. Infinity is currently being edited.

Lateraina Wolf


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